


level of concern

by v1ewmonster



Category: Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu | EarthBound
Genre: Agender Character, Comedy, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Plushies, Reunions, Sleepovers, Teenagers, he/they pronouns for poo :D
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:27:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27631396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/v1ewmonster/pseuds/v1ewmonster
Summary: The Chosen Four reunites via a sleepover. Ness struggles with their prior disbandment.
Relationships: Jeff Andonuts & Paula Jones & Ness & Poo
Kudos: 12





	level of concern

**Author's Note:**

> hey!! long time no see!!! i've been planning this fic for a long time (since july) so here it is^^ this is loosely based off a conversation between me and a friend, so i hope u enjoy reading. this has been a concept i've been meaning to explore for a while now,,, i might write another fic that delves deeper into ness' feelings on the chosen four's disbandment. but for now, here's this fhdjfhdj

A clap of lightning reverberates from the world outside, but how can you be afraid of that when you have your friends by your side and have faced  _ way  _ worse? Ness in particular didn’t mind the lightning. It emitted an oddly crackling sound, and it made Ness all the more fascinated. His friends sit beside him, watching with childlike intrigue. 

“Didn’t really expect a thunderstorm at a sleepover, but that’s alright,” Ness turns around toward his friends.  _ Man,  _ he missed them all so much! “Makes things more exciting.” 

“We’ve faced worse than this,” Poo says. “I’m positive we can handle it.” 

Paula nods. “Yeah, and we’ve got all of Ness’ plushies to cuddle.” She lies down and cuddles a small plush bear tucked underneath her arm. “Never took you for someone who collects plushies, Ness.” 

“Yeah! I, uhm, never really told anyone about it,” Ness doesn’t even  _ try  _ to maintain eye contact with her. “It’s just a hobby, nothin’ special. I think I’m confident enough to tell you guys about it, since I trust you and all…” 

“It’ll be fine, Ness,” Jeff interjects. “You can tell us about anything, embarrassing or not.” 

Paula raises a fist in the air. “Jeff is right! And you know I always tell you that.”

“I know! It’s just…” Ness covers his face. “It’s hard when you’re used to bein’ ridiculed because of this kinda thing.”

Paula smiles and pries Ness’ hand off his face. Before she can say anything, Poo points to a massive bear next to them. 

“Do you give your stuffed animals names?”

Ness’ eyes light up. “Hell yeah, that’s Djungelskog!” 

“Djungleskor?” Paula asks. 

“No,” Jeff says. He adjusts his glasses. “It’s djunkelskog.” 

“ Dajunglesko…” Paula puts a finger to her chin in thought. She turns to Poo. “How would you pronounce it?”

Poo simply shakes their head. “I’m not even going to attempt.”

“Yeah, guys, I don’t really think it matters how his name is pronounced,” Ness says. “Djungelskog is djungelskog!” 

“Well, how would  _ your  _ homie feel knowing you messed up his name?”

Ness points to the bear. “Who, djunglebro? Don’t worry, he’s fine with it.”

Jeff and Poo hold their laughter. Paula only manages a sigh. “I suppose so…”

Lightning interrupts the conversation where it stands. The only light in the room is whatever peers from outside, brightening the kids’ faces as well as bringing the stuffed toys to life. Rain droplets patter repeatedly against the glass and trickles into the windowsill. It’s hard not to hold their attention towards the storm outside. 

“So what about your other plushies aside from Djungleleka?” Paula asks, then reiterates when Jeff rolls his eyes at her. “ _ I’m sorry,  _ Dajungleskor.” 

“Djungelskog!” Jeff blurts out. 

“Whatever!” Paula throws her hands up. “I want to know about the others.”

“Lessee…” Ness shifts his weight, trying to find the plush toys in front of him. He fumbles around in the dark until he holds one up, a lavender stuffed bunny with an ear missing. “Aha! This one’s name is Oliver. I had ‘em since I was a kid!” 

Poo studies Oliver with a scrunched up expression. “Greetings, Oliver,” He shakes the bunny’s hand. “My name is King Poo. I’m grateful to you for taking good care of Ness up to this point.” 

Ness can’t help but smirk at their statement. “Sometimes I forget that you’re a  _ king  _ now. How’s that goin’, by the way?”

“Quite well,” Poo says. “At the same time, it keeps me busy which means I can’t see you guys often, so I’m glad that I could join you on this sleepover.” 

“We’re glad that you could join us too, dude!” Ness says. “It never feels right when one of us ain’t here…” 

Everybody nods in unison. 

Paula immediately shifts the subject over to Oliver. “What’s with the missing ear?”

“Oh, that?” Ness replies. “I just horsed around too roughly which made his ear fall off.” He chuckles. “I remember when I couldn’t stop cryin’ the moment it happened.”

Paula laughs in response. “I can totally see that.”

The rest take a moment to laugh, to relish the moment and absorb it into their hearts. It was like the good old days. The times when they would wake up groggy yet ready to face the day, when they would return to the hotel bloody and bruised but  _ accomplished.  _ Those days were rough and stay rough even now. It’s a time Ness has moved on from yet finds it hard not to miss. 

The responsibility of saving the world does a lot to a kid. It affects their formative years in a way Ness has yet to understand. It’s difficult to comprehend when he’s going through it at this very second. And it’s something he has yet to tell his friends, too. He sighs. He wonders if the others feel the same way… 

“What’s the matter, Ness?” Jeff asks, because he knows more than anyone that Ness wears his heart on his sleeve. 

Paula and Poo drop what they’re doing to worry about Ness. Ness easily brushes off their concern. “Nothin’... nothin’ is wrong, I was just remin… reminic.... reminiscing! That’s the word!!” 

The others tilt their heads. 

“About what?” Paula asks. 

Ness eyes the trio. Their attentive gazes tells Ness that  _ maybe  _ he should stop putting up his defenses and tell them what’s wrong. It only hinders him if he says nothing. 

“Us,” Ness simply responds, “and the times we shared last year… yanno, we haven’t really been able to hang out and stuff. So I’m appreciating the present as much as I can. I…” He gulps down the anxieties that cross his mind. “I just really miss you guys! And I dunno what to do with myself now that I’ve saved the world!! You guys are all busy and I don’t wanna bother you, but at the same time, I dunno what I’m gonna do now that we can’t hang out as much…” 

Paula, Jeff, and Poo huddle over to Ness when they see his face well up his tears. Paula sits in front of him, with Poo and Jeff at his sides. They give him the biggest hug they can muster, the relatability of his words echoing in their ears. 

“Thanks, guys,” He says. He rubs his tears. “I dunno what I’m gonna do without you guys… I can’t endure the scars left by Giygas on my own.” 

“It’s okay to reach out and ask for help if you’re afraid,” Paula says. “Is… that what you want?”

“Yes!! No… uhm, I dunno.”

“Well, whatever it is that you want,” Poo adds, “we’ll be here.”

Jeff fiddles with his hands. “Uhh, yeah. We’re your friends, are we not? You don’t need to feel shame in reaching out. We’ve gotten to know each other since then, so it should be no problem…”

“You’re right,” Ness says with a nod. “It’s just that it — ”

“...it makes you feel weak.” Paula finishes. 

“Hey, don’t read my mind!” 

Paula falls over laughing, chest heaving in and out. “Sorry about that! it was a hunch of mine so I read your mind to make sure.” 

“You’re fine,” Ness says. “But yeah, I’ll keep it in mind. I’ll try not to let the goop I call a brain tell me what’s weak and what’s not.” He pushes his chest out. “I’m gonna show ‘em who’s boss!” 

“That’s the spirit!” 

Ness reads the clock that has since plummeted to the floor: 2:04. They’ve been up for  _ that  _ long? He could have _ sworn  _ the movie he watched earlier wasn’t two and a half hours long.

“I guess that means we should be goin’ to bed now,” Ness says. He shows everyone the clock to prove his point. The others make a sound of affirmation and get ready for bed. 

“Wait, guys!” Ness hollers which grabs their attention again. He grabs Djungelskog from his original position and shakes it around. “You gotta say goodnight to the homies first. It’s only common courtesy.” He hugs Djungelskog and murmurs a goodnight. “They like to cuddle if you want.”

Jeff quirks an eyebrow. “And  _ why  _ do we have to say goodnight to the-”

“Don’t question it and say goodnight to the homies, Jeff!” Paula argues.

Jeff sighs and complies. Not like he can say no to  _ that. _ “Uhm, goodnight plushie homies?” 

“Goodnight homies!” Paula wraps her arm around a medium sized plush bear that resembles the ones she used to buy during their journey. 

Poo clasps his hands. “I am here to go to bed. Goodnight, homies. May you rest well and keep us safe.” 

“Good job guys!!” Ness says before turning around and closing his eyes. The others do the same.

Before dipping into his dreams, Ness thinks about how appreciative he is to have his friends by his side. Without them, he may not know what to do, but thanks to their advice, he can learn to move forward even when they’re apart. What’s friendship without having each other’s backs anyway? 


End file.
